PlayStation Sony State of Play Predictions 1

Sony will host an anticipated State of Play livestream this week, but it’s important to stress upfront what it’s not. This is not a summer showcase to be compared with an E3 press conference or even a major Nintendo Direct. Despite the similarities in format, we’ve seen enough State of Play presentations now to know that they’re more like video extensions of the PS Blog – a curated collection of trailers and announcements, with a lot less of the gigaton shock-and-awe you’ve perhaps come to expect from PlayStation presentations in the past.

As such, while we expect the presentation will be compared to the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase by some straw clutching corners of social media, it’s not intended to be the 90-minute blowout that Microsoft has planned. That kind of presentation, if Sony follows the same announcement schedule as last year, will potentially come in September – so, at least three months away. This is an appetiser to fill the space in between.

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Moreover, the absence of God of War Ragnarok – or, indeed, any other first-party title – is not necessarily indicative of a delay or development hell. While it would be great to see titles from PlayStation Studios, the platform holder has been clear that this particular State of Play will include “some exciting reveals from our third-party partners, plus a sneak peek at several games in development for PSVR2”.

No one should be worried about the absence of first-party titles, because in the past Sony has held dedicated State of Plays that hone in on specific major releases. This has been consistent across tentpole titles such as Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us 2, so even if you don’t see Kratos, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Ragnarok is on hold until 2023. Please maintain all of this perspective prior to the event before writing it off entirely.

Now that we’ve discussed all of the potential absentees and, hopefully, aligned expectations – it’s time to talk about what could potentially be included during the State of Play on 2nd June. Obviously, it’s incredibly difficult to predict with so little information to work with, but here are some of our educated guesstimates based on the timing of the event and other little tidbits of information that we’ve read around the web.

A New Challenger Arrives in Street Fighter 6

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Whether or not it’ll be a console exclusive like Street Fighter 5 is up for debate, but expect Sony to have its boxing gloves all over Street Fighter 6. The company is now the co-owner of flagship fighting game tournament EVO, where the sixth instalment in Capcom’s legendary series is likely to debut. The audience for EVO is extremely specific, though, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the Japanese publisher sonic boomed a short teaser trailer into the latest State of Play just to set the mood.

Final Fantasy 16 Could Reappear, But Probably Won’t

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It’s the one everyone wants to see, but it probably won’t appear if we’re being honest. Final Fantasy does have a decent relationship with State of Play – we’ve received some important updates on Final Fantasy VII Remake during the format in the past, including the game’s PS5 upgrade – and Square Enix has hinted that it has Final Fantasy 16 updates ready and waiting to be shared. Is a State of Play the right venue for that? Honestly, probably not – but the timing makes it a vague possibility, even if you probably shouldn’t put it on your bingo card.

Horizon Call of the Mountain Makes Itself Heard

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The one PSVR2 game we know about, Horizon Call of the Mountain, is surely a lock for this week’s State of Play. Sony’s been very clear that this is more of a sneak peek for its new headset rather than a full blowout, but we’ve only seen a few scant seconds of the Guerrilla and Firesprite collaboration so far, so surely a longer demonstration beckons? While we don’t expect any potential trailers or footage to go too deep, we’d hope to learn a little more about how the series’ tried-and-trusted gameplay is being adapted for virtual reality.

A Return to the Village of Resident Evil

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We know that DLC is coming to Resident Evil Village, and seeing as it’s been just shy of a year since development was confirmed, Capcom’s probably just about ready to show something. Sony was the marketing partner for the original release and will probably have dibs on the DLC reveal. As an extended possibility, Resident Evil VII: Biohazard was critically acclaimed for its PSVR support, and confirmation that similar efforts are being made with PSVR2 and Resident Evil Village would be big news.

Half-Life Alyx Is the One Everyone Wants

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If Sony wants to set the tone for PSVR2 support, then confirming a Half-Life Alyx port is in production would be massive for the headset. Valve has never ruled out the possibility of porting the critically acclaimed game, and PlayStation’s new headset certainly has the horsepower to handle it. It would be a massive announcement, and arguably too big for a “sneak peek” during an average State of Play, but it’s one we could potentially see happening – well, if we squint anyway.

The Indie Alliance

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We talk about them every State of Play, but they’re still not out, so expect some contractually obligated appearances from the likes of Stray and Little Devil Inside. These are anticipated titles, although their build-up is getting a little long in the tooth, so hopefully we can finally get some release dates locked in. There will, inevitably, be a handful of new announcements from a selection of indie developers, too – but, given the nature of these games, they’re virtually impossible to predict.

Small PS Plus Announcements

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Sony will want to take the opportunity to remind fans that its revamped PS Plus service is coming soon in Europe and North America, so we can see it spending a few moments to outline the roadmap for its service. Don’t expect anything too crazy here: it could be the confirmation of a couple of PS1 games that are coming later in the year, or perhaps even one or two titles that’ll be added to the PS Plus Extra tier later in the summer. Again, think small, but we’re confident PS Plus will be mentioned in some capacity.

And Everything Else

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The show is just 30 minutes, so Sony doesn’t have too much time really. You’re unlikely to get all of the above, and you probably should expect the livestream to be padded out with tiny little info drops, like new MultiVersus character announcements and things of that ilk. In terms of timing, projects like Dragon’s Dogma 2 could fit, but they’re just highly unlikely to debut during a State of Play. Given how light Sony’s schedule looks, there’s probably going to be some frustration after this – but it’s crucially important you keep those expectations as low as possible, because State of Play has form now for being very light on heavy-hitters.

Those are our predictions anyway, and we’d just like to reiterate that we don’t think you’ll see all of the above in one show – but we do think some of them are possible. With all that said, we’re eager to hear some of your suggestions as well. Do you have slightly more optimistic expectations for this broadcast, and is there anything in particular you reckon is nailed on? Did we miss anything obvious? Guess away in the comments section below – but remember to keep your feet on the ground. This is a State of Play – it’s not a major showcase.